Page 25 of Cause and Effect

“Very. Which leads me to believe that someone did it on purpose.” I bit into my sandwich.

“Exactly. So the killer could sneak into the house and plant the evidence,” she said. “The CC footage recorded Georgina’s husband and that woman walking into the hotel, but what about out of it? The woman must have left, driven to Georgina’s house, and planted the evidence.”

“The kitchen!” We both said at the same time, staring at each other. “Come on. Let’s go talk to Morgan.” I jumped up from my chair.

“Hey, you two.” Morgan smiled as we walked into her office.

“I need you to pull up all the CC footage outside the hotel the night of Derek Acosta’s murder.”

“I thought you already looked at that,” she said.

“We have,” Laurel spoke. “But we didn’t notice if the woman left the hotel.”

“We need you to check the hotel’s security system to see if there are any cameras in the back,” I said.

Morgan’s fingers typed away like a madwoman’s. “Here’s a blueprint of the hotel’s security system. There are cameras in the back.”

“Can you hack into their system so we can check that night?” I asked.

“Really, Julian? Are you asking or telling?”

“I’m telling you.”

“That’s what I thought.” She smiled.

“The medical examiner said Derek’s time of death was around midnight. We know he and the mysterious woman entered the hotel at ten p.m. So, she probably would have left the hotel after midnight,” Laurel said.

Her phone rang. When she pulled it from her pocket, she excused herself and stepped out of the office.

“Are you playing nice, Julian?” Morgan asked.

“I always play nice, Morgan.”

Laurel stepped back into Morgan’s office. “Find anything yet?” she asked.

“Not yet,” Morgan said.

“Is everything okay?” I asked her.

“Yeah. My parents are keeping the girls overnight at their place and taking them to Catalina Island for the day tomorrow.”

The fact that she would be childless for the night sparked an idea in my head.

“No one but the kitchen staff went in and out that back door,” Morgan said.

“Fuck.” I ran my hand through my hair. “Maybe she reserved a room for herself and went there after she murdered Derek.”

“Or she disguised herself and left through the lobbydoors,” Laurel said. “Morgan, pull up the CC footage for the following day around four a.m. STOP! Right there.” Laurel pointed to the screen.

“Who the hell is that?” I asked.

“That is the woman who murdered Derek Acosta. Look. She’s carrying the bag that was found in Georgina’s home with the dress and murder weapon.”

“That woman is a blonde,” I said.

“She’s wearing a wig,” Morgan said.

“Who wears sunglasses at four a.m.?” I asked.

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